TGI Fridays in Westbury and Rockville Centre have closed

TGI Fridays locations in Westbury and Rockville Centre have closed, part of a wave of closures in recent weeks as the chain explores options including a bankruptcy filing, Debtwire, Bloomberg and other outlets have reported.

By Tuesday afternoon, the two Long Island locations no longer appeared on the chain’s store locator. Their phone numbers worked but no one picked up. "We regret to inform you that Fridays has made the difficult decision to close our doors" said a sign dated Oct. 24 at the Rockville Centre location, thanking "our loyal Guests and our Team Members." A sign at the Westbury location said the location was closed but "we look forward to serving you soon!" Fridays did not respond to an emailed request for comment. Newsday could not reach the landlords for those locations. 

Debtwire, covering the fixed income market, reported earlier this month that Dallas, Texas-based TGI Fridays Inc., parent company of the casual restaurant chain, was exploring a possible bankruptcy filing. Bloomberg reported the company was seeking financing as it prepared for the filing.

In January, Newsday reported the chain had closed corporate-owned locations at the South Shore Mall in Bay Shore, Islandia and Massapequa Park, part of a nationwide closure of 36 restaurants management said were "underperforming."

At the time, the chain had 237 restaurants in the United States, down from 500 in 2014.

On Tuesday, according to Fridays store locator, only 154 locations remained, including those in Valley Stream, Islip, Farmingville and Riverhead.

Aneurin Canham-Clyne, a reporter for industry publication Restaurant Dive, said Fridays, which originated in the '60s as a singles bar, had tried to reposition itself as a casual dining destination while retaining its bars. "That was a fraught business proposition" that appears to have fractured under stress from the pandemic and inflation, Canham-Clyne said.

"Customers pulled back their dining spending," he said. The chain's private equity owners responded by churning through CEOs, overhauling menus and investing in delivery-only "virtual brand" restaurants run out of Fridays kitchens. It also pursued an agreement with its major franchiser that would have boosted short-term revenue by selling 140 corporate-owned locations, but that plan foundered earlier this year when the company ran afoul of its bond covenants and creditors seized its assets, Canham-Clyne said. 

Fridays' brand has a legacy, but "it doesn't necessarily have a strong connection to younger consumers," he said. "All brands have a life span, and eventually they die."